Folding chair.



No. 816,853. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906. J. E. BISELE.

FOLDING CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED MAR-13,1906.

V1 2 sanms-snnnf 1.

fiz -W 6. aft/M.

PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

J. E. EISELE. FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 1a 1905 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7 LINN I liibre ya.

JOHN EISELE, or wEsr sEN-EcA, NEW YORK.

FOLDING cHAm.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Batented April a, 1900. a

Application filed Harsh 13, 1905. Serial H- 249 711.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. EISELE, a citizen of the United Statearesidin at West 8811603? in the county of Erie an State of New ork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Chairs, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to that class of folding chairs which comprise folding egs, a pivoted or hinged seat, and a pivote or hin ed back; and its ob'ect is to rovide a foldmg chair of this kin which wi l occu y a minimum space when folded and whic when in position for use will be rigid and have all its parts securely held in place.

Folding chairs. often have the fault of being too easily collapsible, thus preventing their being readily moved about when open and rendering them moreor less unsafe in use.

This invention provides interloekin devices which secure the seat, le s, and ack firmly in position when open an at the same time permit ready disengagement thereof when desired. In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 1s a vertical lon itudinal section throu h the center of a olding chair containin tiis improvement, showing the parts locke in position for use and the upper part of the back broken away. 'Fig. 2 is a similar view with the locking devices released. Fi 3 is a side elevation of the chair a when folde Fi .4 is a rear elevation, on an enlarged scale, 0 the joint and looking or clamping devices securing the back and the seat in position for use. Fig. 5 is a side ele. vation of the same. Fig. 6 1s a similar view showing the back released from the locking device. Fig. 7 is a fragmentaryrear elevation of the chair. Fig. 8 is a sectional bottom plan;

view of the seat in line 8 8, Fig. 1. Fig; 9 is a side view of a modified form of the locking device.

Like letters of reference refer'to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the seat, B the back, C the outer legs, and D the inner legs, of the'chair. The outer legs 0 are arran ed on the outer sides of the inner legs D an extend from the front of the seat downwardly and rearwardly, while the inner legs D extend from the rear of the seat downwardly and forwardly. Each outer leg 0 is connected to the adjacent inner leg D at the point of intersection by a transverse pivot c, or closed.

The two outer legs C are rigidly connected by an up er cross-rod 0', upon which the seat rests at t e front, and by a bottom cross-rod c. The two inner legs D are rigidly connected by an upper cross-rod d, sup ortin'g the seat at the rear, and two diagonal braces d. The u per portions 0 of the outer legs 0, in which. t e front cross-rod c is secured, are bent or offset so as to stand in an upright position, or nearly so, while the body or main portion of the leg is oblique, whereby this cross-rod is held above the main portion of the legs C when the chair is folded, as shown in Fig. 3. The inner le s D, which are also Oblique, are provided at t eir upper ends with arms 01', which stand in an upright posltion, or nearly so, and between which the back 1s ivoted by transverse pivots d. The up or ont cross-rod cof the legs 0 is situate as near the end of the legs as practical and is adapted to detachably en age downwardlypro ecting hooks e, secure to the under s1 e of the seat A and o enin rearwardly. These hooks are prefera 1y p aced at a suflicient distance apart to enga e the rod 0 near the inner sides of the legs They are bent upwardly in their end portions so that the rod 0 cannot be too readily disengaged therefrom, and their end ortions are referably somewhat elastic. T lley thus ho d the legs C detachably in position with the forward end of the seat.

The rear end of the seat A is hinged to the upper rear cross-rod d b means of the bin estraps, knuckles, or soc ets f, secured to t e so that the legs can be opened seat and embracing the rod adjacent to the inner legs D.

Thegseat ma be of any desirable form 0 construction; ut in order that the chair should fold as closely as possible it is so made, that its supporting-frame is sufficiently nar, row to enter between the inner legs D in foldin the chair.

Tn order to secure the seat and back rigidly in position for use, the back is provided with downwardly pro'ectin'g stop arms, which are caught by ocking or clampin j aws arranged on the pivoted or hinged on .of the seat, so that as the seat approaches its normal position these looking or clamping. i'aws engage the stop-arms of the back an ock the same tightly in position.

9 represents the looking or clamping hooks I :0

7 swung into its normal free the stop-arms ortions c of the legs 0 rests or jaws arranged on the seat adjacent to the hinge-sockets or hinged legs. These jaws may be made in various waysfor instance, separate from the hinge-knuckles and secured thereto, as shown; in Fi s. 1, 2, 5, and 6, gr in one piece with the societs, as shown in i 9.

h epresents the stop-arms of the back which extend downwardly from the pivotline of the back, so as to swing at their lower ends toward and from the rear sides of-the hinge-sockets f of the seat. As the back is swung backwardly in opening the chair the lower ends of the stop-arnis h are swung forwardly until they strike the hinge-sockets. The latter arrest the forward movement of the sto arms and the rearward movement of the ack. As the seat is swung into its normal position the locking hooks or jaws g engage against the rear sides of the stoparms it, so that when the chair has been unfolded, as represented in Figs. 1 and 5, the stop-arms engage against the rear sides of the hinge-sockets and the jaws a ainst the rear sides of the sto -arms, where by the back is rigidly held in 1ts unfolded position against movement in either direction. The stoparms have preferably reduced lower en s which enter the spaces between the hingesockets and the jaws, and these spaces are preferably made tapering downwardly to draw the stop-arms tightly against the sockets or other front supports as the seat is osition.

The above-describe devices, comprising the hinge-sockets or front supports, the lockingjaws, and the stop-arms of the back, secure the back, the rear end of the seat, and the inner or rear legs rigidly in position in a very simple and satisfactory manner.

The forward end of the seat A and the outer legs C are held together b the hooks e, enga ing the cross-rod 0. Al the parts of the chair are thus held securely locked in position, and the chair may be moved about freely without anytendency to fold.

When it is, desired to fold the chair,the back is held firmly it. This releases the cross-bar e from the hgoks e andat the same time moves the clamping-hooks g downwardly, so that the h of the back. The'back is then moved slightly forward in order-that the stop-arms it will clear the locking-jaws, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The chair is now in a position for foldin and may close of its own weight. When fo lded, the inner legs D fit within the outer legs 0 and fold into the same plane therewit reason ofthe upward bend of the adjacent egs D, Fig. 3. The frame of t e seat A fits within the inner legs seat extend across and seat and provided with a stop-arm whlch the legs and forming a stop rearward movement of the rear side of the stop-arm when t right top extensions,

, set forth. and the seat lifted toward portions, a pair of at the upper ends of their u tions, the back and the seat The cross-rod c by u on the mner a D and the slats of the rest upon these legs and the outer legs 0. The upright top ortions (1 of the inner legs D hold the bac B above the plane of the seat A so that the back rests upon the latter and lies parallel with and ad acent to said seat. The chair, therefore, has when folded onlythe thickness of the outer legs, the slats of the seat, and the back and occupies the minimum'spacawhich is a great advantage in transportation and stora e.

I cfaim as my invention- 1. In a foldlng chair, the combination of legs, a seat ivoted to the same,fa back pivoted at its ower end to the legs above the pivot-line of the seat and provided with a sto arm which projects downwardly from tffe ivot-line of the back and swings toward and rom the pivot of the seat, a stop on the pivot of the seat which arrests the forward movement of the stop-arm, and a locking-jaw arranged on the seat and en aging against the rear side of the stop-arm w en the latter rests against said stop, substantially as set forth. 2. In a folding chair, the combination of legs, a seat pivoted to the same, a back pivoted to the legs above the pivot-line of the projects downwardly from the pivot-line the back and has its lower end arra ed rear of the ivot-line of the seat, a ingeknuckle on the seat, connecting the seat w1th which arrests the stop-arm and the back, and a lock ing-j aw on the seat which enga es against the %m latter bears substantially as set forward movement of the against said knuckle, forth.

3. Afolding chair oblique folding legs,

comprising two pairs of the rear pair havlng upa back pivoted at its lower end'between the upper ends of said top extensions, and a seat pivoted at the lower ends of said top extensions, both the back and seat being arran ed to swing downwardly in folding the 0 air, substantially as 4. A foldin oblique inner egs provide with upright to oblique outer legs pivote a seat pivoted at 1ts rear of their upright top portions, and a back 1voted at its lower end between the inner egs right top poreing arrange to swing downwardly in folding the chair, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 9th day of March,

JOHN E. EISELE. Witnesses:

, O. B. HQRNBECK,

O. M. LAMB.

chair com rising a pair of 

